Rourke's a top council contender

LOWELL -- Voters threw their support behind three challengers both new and old, as well as several longtime city councilors, in Tuesday's preliminary City Council election.

In the contest held to narrow the council field from 22 candidates to 18 for the Nov. 5 general election, first-time candidate Dan Rourke, a probation officer, was the council challenger who received the most votes, taking fourth place.

Click here to view full ward and precinct vote totals.

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Not far behind Rourke were former Mayor James Milinazzo, who finished in sixth place in his bid to return to the council, and former Lowell High School Headmaster William Samaras, a first-time candidate who took seventh place.

Incumbent councilors Rita Mercier, Rodney Elliott and Bill Martin -- the three longest-serving councilors -- took the top three spots, respectively, on a day in which less than 15 percent of city voters cast ballots.

Rounding out the top nine finishers in the city's first preliminary election since 1999 were incumbents Edward Kennedy (fifth), John Leahy (eighth), and Marty Lorrey (ninth).

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The four candidates eliminated from November's general election were Matthew Vieira, Darius Mitchell, Brandon Navom and Rick Misitano, who finished in the 19-22 spots, respectively.

Despite sunny skies, the voter turnout, like the general election two years ago, was low, according to the unofficial results. A total of 6,696 of the city's 55,708 registered voters cast ballots, for a turnout of approximately 12 percent.

The general election in November will determine which nine people will serve on the council in its new term starting in January.

Rourke, of Pawtucketville, attributed his success Tuesday to starting door knocking in the spring and constantly reaching out to voters since launching his campaign.

"I'm very excited and very, very happy," said Rourke, 37, while gathered with supporters at the Athenian Corner downtown. "The hard work does pay off."

Rourke said he intends to keep discussing his ideas for boosting economic development in the city, increasing public safety and providing more afterschool programs for the city's children.

He also said he plans to keep working hard until the general election to ensure he has just as strong a showing.

Lowell City Councilors Rita Mercier and Rodney Elliott celebrate their first- and second-place finishes, respectively, at City Hall Tuesday night. For the most part, incumbents ruled the day in the preliminary election.
SUN / JULIA MALAKIE

"I take nothing for granted and I will be back tomorrow knocking on doors," Rourke said.

Samaras, 71, said he was very excited about his finish and believes a big part of it was residents who were pleased with his work as headmaster of Lowell High for 19 years.

"A lot of people came up to me and said they appreciated what I did for their children while I was at the high school," said Samaras, who was home by the time the results came in.

Samaras also said he thinks his message that he has a strong history as a collaborator resonated with voters. He said he plans to keep door-knocking and engaging with voters in the coming weeks.

"I think it will be a very exciting race all around," said Samaras, who is serving as an acting principal in Haverhill public schools.

From left, incumbent City Councilors John Leahy and Marty Lorrey, and challenger Erik Gitschier check early results in the preliminary election on Lorrey's phone at City Hall Tuesday night. Below, council candidate Dan Rourke celebrates his fourth-place finish with his parents, Jack Rourke and Patty Casey, at the Athenian Corner in Lowell. SUN / JULIA MALAKIE

Milinazzo, 59, who as mayor lost his re-election bid two years ago, said he was "very pleased" with Tuesday's results.

He said a big difference this time around was that he was able to go door knocking. In 2011, he was hindered because of a leg fracture.

"I really engaged in conversation with the voters and they knew my record having been on the council for eight years," said Milinazzo, who spoke from his home. "People said they really wanted to see me back on the council."

In the coming weeks, Milinazzo he plans to release a list of issues he would focus on if voters return him to the council in November. Milinazzo is the vice president of business services at Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union.

Mercier, who has topped the ticket in the last eight council elections, showed Tuesday that she has the inside track to claim the top spot again in November. She received 3,681 votes, which put her more than 900 votes ahead of the second-place finisher.

Mercier said she was thrilled with Tuesday's results, and gave hugs and handshakes to those gathered inside City Hall who had awaited the outcome.

"The voters didn't let my age or longevity play a bad role in this," said Mercier, 65, who is seeking her 10th two-year term.

"Thank you for trusting in me and keeping me still here to at least go into the final election," Mercier said was her message to city voters. "Now I can sleep tonight."

Elliott, who finished second two years ago, said he also felt great about the support he got from voters Tuesday. He received 2,764 votes.

"I think a lot of the issues I brought up in the last two years have resonated with people," said Elliott, who is known for his focus on fiscal issues. "I'm going to continue to work hard, keep asking questions, and keep putting forward motions to keep taxes down and keep government more open and transparent."

Martin, who is seeking his eighth term, finished just behind Elliott with 2,748 votes.

Lorrey, who was elected in 2011 during his first run, said he was happy to move on to the general election and plans to work hard until then.

"My campaign schedule goes to Nov. 5 at 8 p.m.," said Lorrey, pointing to the time when polls close for the general election.

Fred Doyle, who just made the cut, said he will be active in the coming weeks, planning to focus his efforts on talking about issues at the Lowell Housing Authority, as well as the role of the Lowell Plan in city affairs.

"I'm going to finish what I started with the Lowell Housing Authority," said Doyle, who first raised concerns about the LHA when he ran in 2011.

Two years ago, only 9,946 of just more than 50,000 registered voters turned out to vote in the city's general election.

Also on the ballot in November will be the Lowell School Committee and Greater Lowell Technical School Committee races.

Staff writer Katie Lannan contributed reporting.

Follow Moran and Lannan on Twitter and Tout @lylemoran and @katielannan.

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